Features

A forecast for dry, windy and hot days will always increase the chance for wildfires.

Accooring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a wildfire is an uncontrollable fire spreading through vegetative fuels that exposes and possibly consumes structures in its path. They often begin unnoticed, spread quickly and are usually signaled by dense smoke that fills the area for miles around.

Legend has it that enlisted soldiers came up with a phrase after noticing how their mess hall portions of pork always contained shoulder and leg cuts, while officers got top loin, pork chops and ham.

They called it “livin’ high off the hog.”

Given that, you wouldn’t think bacon – meat taken from the sides, belly or back of a pig that’s been cured, smoked or both – would be so sought-after by foodies, chefs in five-star eateries and TV cooking shows.

GREAT FALLS – When Cherry Doster was growing up in Great Falls, a visit to Eagle’s Five and Ten Cents Store on Dearborn Street was quite a treat.

She walked past a line of thriving businesses to get there.

Now, most of those businesses are boarded up by sheets of painted plywood. Sidewalk awnings are faded and torn. Portions of the broken intricate tile work in front of the old dime store have been patched and filled with concrete.

Local produce is now available and consumers are taking advantage of it.

The Lancaster County Farmer’s Market on Pageland Highway is in full swing, along with the Lancaster County Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association farmer’s market at Ace Hardware on South Market Street.

The county market is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The fruit and vegetable grower’s market is open on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

Local farmer Don Gowan said the county market is enjoying a banner year. He said the vendor count has almost doubled.

However, the great banana split debate splits the two towns apart much further.

Both lay claims as the home of the banana split, but there can be only one.

Who would have ever thought that a one scoop each of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream, a whole banana, pineapple, chocolate syrup, strawberry topping, whipped cream, and nuts and cherries in a “boat” could stir up such controversy?

Looking for some all-American Independence Day fun? You won’t have to look far. From neighborhood gatherings to professional fireworks shows, there’s plenty to do. Here are some area events:

– Rock Hill will host Red, White and Boom at 6 p.m. today at the Old Town Amphitheater on Black Street. The Oneppo Brothers and ZoSo will perform until the fireworks begin at 10 p.m. There will be children’s activities and food. For details, e-mail crandall@cityofrockhill.com.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As temperatures rise, more and more people are venturing outdoors. The nation’s emergency physicians are warning about the dangers of insect bites – specifically from ticks and mosquitoes – which can cause serious illnesses.

No matter what your lifestyle, incorporating fitness into your daily schedule is easier and more natural than yothink. Here are a few suggestions that can help make yofit fitness into your daily routine. However, ask your doctor before engaging in strenuous physical activity

Past generations turned to low-cost frozen dinners when the money got tight. These days, cutting back means skipping restaurants and cooking at home instead, according to Sloan Trends, which follows changes in eating habits.

According to a recent report in Food Technology, 53 percent of consumers are cooking from scratch more frequently.